Washington Grape Syrah or Merlot?
California is known for the Cabernet Sauvignon, big, bold, beautiful and sometimes over the top (kind of like the California lifestyle).
Oregon is known for its lighter, earthy, liberal, organic Pinot Noir (similar to the people who live there, eh).
New York is producing quality Riesling ranging from sweet to off dry, this opulant varietal is often misunderstood but pairs well with tons of food (akin to the oft mis-understood and passionate New Yorker).
What about Washington? Is Washington the Merlot king – underappreciated, oft-maligned, but delightfully robust? Or, is Syrah the fruit of the Evergreen State – deep purple with bright bold berry and hints of smoke on the water?
I asked informally on Twitter a week ago and the vote was pretty close.
- 10 Merlot, 8 Syrah, 4 Riesling, 2 Chardonnay, 2 Bordeaux Blend
This is research for a future article on a national web site as well as a potential tasting event. Please use the voting buttons and share, re-tweet this with friends. Thanks for your participation.
If you have a favorite WA Wine / Winery or select “other” please share in the comments!
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27 Comments:
By uberVU - social comments 05 Feb 2010
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by nectarwine: Need Help Please Vote: Which Grape is WA Best Known For? http://bit.ly/90wgeC…
By kevin - WineDudeOnline 05 Feb 2010
looks like syrah is winning!
By drinknectar 05 Feb 2010
Ahh, we’ll see, Kevin. I would really like to get a good vote count here. Maybe 100 votes? Like for some of the wineries to weigh in too.
By Nancy 05 Feb 2010
Northstar Merlot is one of the favorites in our house!
By drinknectar 05 Feb 2010
Thanks for Sharing, Nancy!
By Ben Simons 05 Feb 2010
I have had all kinds of great wines from Washington, but some of the absolute best Merlot that I’ve ever had came from there. I’m with Nancy on the Northstar, and I’ve really enjoyed some Barnard Griffin Merlot as well. Great stuff.
By Tom Lee 05 Feb 2010
Casting my vote for Syrah, Josh.
By Kevin Glowacki 05 Feb 2010
For most consumers, I’d say Merlot is the answer. I’m a bit surprised by the results and not sure if that is good or bad, since from a retailers perspective, Syrah (outside of $20 and under Aussie) was always a really tough sell.
By drinknectar 05 Feb 2010
Kevin, I get your drift on that one. The Merlot is a much easier sell because the quality is good, the price is more moderate and the availability is higher. The average consumer just doesn’t understand the value difference of a nice $80 WA Syrah and the $8 Yellow Tail Shiraz.
Josh
By Ed Thralls 05 Feb 2010
With the wines we reviewed last month, there was some very good Merlot and a lot more of it available. However, K Syrah was nice too.
By Seattle Wine Gal 05 Feb 2010
MERLOT BABY!!!
By drinknectar 05 Feb 2010
SWG – Do you have a favorite?
By JJ 05 Feb 2010
I was torn between voting for Merlot and Bordeaux Blends… I ended up going for the Bordeaux Blends. We share a similar latitude with the region and I think if you look at the best wines WA has produced over the last decade, they are in the Bordeaux style. I am also casting my vote in this way because I consider Bordeaux to be a more inclusive choice (one that includes the great WA Merlots) that signifies the style/type of wine we’re making, rather than singling out a specific varietal.
By Gwendolyn 05 Feb 2010
So I voted for Merlot because that’s what I think Washington has become known for in the country… in particular, GOOD Merlot and I do love the Merlot coming from there. BUT, I am a huge fan of the Syrah (and Rhone varieties from there in general – just try some of McCrea vineyards Mourvedre and it will rock you!) and think that may overtake Merlot. Point is – Merlot is what I think WA is known for now, but my favorite these days is Syrah and think that may win in the future!
By JJ 05 Feb 2010
BTW sweet picture of a Red Mountain vineyard. Unmistakable Yakima River, Saddleback, and Rattlesnake in the background.
By drinknectar 05 Feb 2010
You’ve got a keen 1Eye JJ! Red Mountain is so under-rated. Great stuff!
By Catie 05 Feb 2010
There is only one thing in the world that is better than chocolate and week-day sex – - and that is a Merlot made with fruit from the Walla Walla Valley.
By drinknectar 05 Feb 2010
Catie! I like how you think, although I’m not sure there is much better than week-day sex! Cheers!
By Barb 05 Feb 2010
Syrah. We have many different microclimes that coax different nuances from this grape. There are big mouthfuls such as Cayuse and elegant florals from Crayelle. Yes, I know that Syrahs can be a hard fought handsell…..but there is wonderful potential.
By drinknectar 08 Feb 2010
Several great comments here in the post. Syrah seems to be a darling (especially among wine enthusiasts) but Merlot seems to be what put WA on the map (and arguably Riesling too). Is Merlot damaged goods b/c of Sideways?
Merlot is probably the easier sell as the price points tend to be lower. Certainly not a clear hands down choice for the wine that best represents Washington State.
By Most Tweeted Articles by wine Experts: MrTweet 06 Feb 2010
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By Darren 06 Feb 2010
Love WA state Merlot, but I think Syrah has more potential.
By A Blind Tasting of Washington Reds | Wine Tonite! 09 Feb 2010
[...] put a halt to such stardom. Or maybe even a few Syrahs. Check out DrinkNectar’s poll here where in which Syrah edges out Merlot as the variety Washington is best known for. We will see [...]
By Sip with Me! 09 Feb 2010
Well, I voted for Merlot but agree with the consensus that Washington’s producing amazing Syrah and Bordeaux blends. Merlot’s reputation has been temporarily, soiled but she cleans up nicely with a little time.
By Uncorked 10 Feb 2010
Agree with the Merlot comments. A grape that does very, very well in WA. Vineyard to vineyard quality can be an issue, but the better managed vineyards produce grapes in the most amazing of our merlots.
By rocketwineguy 26 Mar 2010
My vote for best known went to merlot, even though I am a syrah lover. Yes, merlot took a hit from the Sideways movie (kinda like the hit to the head the guy took from sandra oh’s character) but it may be on the comeback. I agree with the post about mourvedre and other varietals rising in popularity, so we will see…
By drinknectar 26 Mar 2010
The #WAMerlot event was tonight 3/25! I hope you were able to participate in some way.